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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · cell · rock · ball · fine · field · prune · spring

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rock — a stone
  6. ball — a great time
  7. field — for sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rock — music
  13. field — a subject
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ball — a dance
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. spring — of water
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. field — farmland
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com